Del Rio has been mentioned as a job candidate since Lane Kiffin was fired in September and Haden met with the former USC linebacker in Denver two weeks ago, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. A source confirmed Haden interviewed Del Rio.

USC’s also reached out to NFL analyst Jon Gruden and reportedly spoke to former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. The Trojans are also interested in Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and Boise State coach Chris Petersen but will probably wait until after the season to speak to them.

Current USC coach Ed Orgeron said Sunday night he was unaware of the Del Rio interview.

“That’s the first I heard about it. I really don’t care,” Orgeron said. “I know (Haden) has a job to do and has to do what’s best for USC. I’d rather be in this position, being with the Trojans.”

Haden interviewed Del Rio on Nov. 1 and the next day Denver Broncos coach John Fox was hospitalized and eventually underwent surgery to replace the aortic valve in his heart. USC is expected to hire a coach in December.

Orgeron, who is riding high after the Trojans upset No. 5-ranked Stanford on Saturday night, is also expected to interview for the job.

“That’s totally out of my hands,” he said about getting hired by Haden. “I will say this. Everything happens for a reason.”

The Trojans are 5-1 since Orgeron was appointed USC’s coach.

Congrats aplenty

Former USC coach Pete Carroll was among those to send Orgeron a text message after the Stanford game. Others who congratulated him were former USC players Marcus Allen, Brian Cushing, Anthony Munoz and Kenechi Udeze.

Orgeron also heard from players he coached at Miami, including Warren Sapp, Cortez Kennedy and Dwayne Johnson, the actor who used to go by the nickname “The Rock.”

Asked Sunday night if he ever imagined getting this much attention when appointed interim coach, Orgeron said, “I hadn’t even thought about it.

“I took things one day at a time and needed to get (the players) laughing again. The guys are starting to play better.”

COnfidence sky high

There is little the players don’t feel is possible following the victory over Stanford.

“We can do anything we want from here,” said kicker Andre Heidari, who made the game-winning field goal.

Wide receiver Marqise Lee said the Trojans are not surprised by their four-game winning streak.

Return to rankings

The Trojans are ranked No. 23 in the BCS and Associated Press rankings and No. 25 in the coaches’ poll. It was the first time USC made the BCS rankings since 2011.

“From the outside it looks good,” Orgeron said. “But on the inside it doesn’t mean a lot. Beating Stanford, that’s gratifying for us.”

Decisions, decisions

The Pac-12 will announce today the starting time for USC’s game Saturday at Colorado. The six-day window, as it is known, helps TV networks select the more attractive games and conference commissioner Larry Scott said the short notice might inconvenience fans but “elevates the conference (TV) profile.”

Scott conceded it is a “balancing act” to cater the needs of TV and also make things convenient for fans who attend games.

Fox exercised its contractual right to conduct a six-day pick for Saturday’s games. The network will choose between USC-Colorado; Arizona State at UCLA; Oregon at Arizona and California at Stanford.

Fox gets the first selection for its 4 p.m. (PST) game that day. ESPN has the next pick for its 12:30 p.m. (PST) game. The Pac-12 Network has the third selection for its game that will kick off at 7:30 p.m (PST or MST). Fox gets the remaining game for its 1 p.m. (PST) contest.